July 10, 2014— written by Dan Fulton, Sr.Vice President of John Burns Real Estate Consulting: The 40th-best-selling master-planned community in the country provides some great ideas for developers looking to tap into the demand for today’s busy home buyers. The residents of One Loudoun must feel relaxed and relieved when they walk out their front door and down the street to restaurants, movies, shops, and offices, as the parade of tens of thousands of commuters creep by on the Loudoun County Parkway or Route 7. Leaving the car in the garage is a treat for commute-weary DC suburbanites.
A walkable lifestyle in suburbia. Shops, restaurants, and movie theaters within walking distance of most homes keep the community developed by NASH Communities and Miller & Smith active day and night. It’s that car-less convenience that created a big sales plus for One Loudoun, helping it jump to number 40 on the best-selling master-planned community list in 2013, with 243 closings for Camberley Homes, NV Homes, and Miller & Smith, the three builders. There are 1,040 homes planned for the community along with 700,000 square feet of retail and 3 million square feet of office space.
Entertainment is plentiful. Both young singles and family-focused residents find plenty to do just down the street. In addition to restaurants and shops, The Ballpark at Loudoun One will become another community entertainment hub. It is slated to be home to the Loudoun Hounds, a minor-league baseball team, as well as the Virginia Cavalry, a soccer franchise.
Unique home designs. The architecture and floor plans are much different than most suburban locations and have been very well received. The home designs create an incentive to move, for both young and mature alike.
Easy Commute. One Loudoun is three miles from Dulles Airport and 25 from the nation’s capital. Nearby are well-paying employers, including Raytheon and Orbital Sciences Corporation. Loudoun County is focusing on attracting more life science jobs to continue bringing high-income jobs to the Community. There’s also a move afoot by the developer to earn a World Trade Center designation for One Loudoun.